Normally, when feeding an infant or young child, an elderly individual, or a pet, it is common for water or other liquids, including liquid components of foods, to be spilled from their containers. The spilled liquid can damage or discolor a floor, table, or other surface on which the container was placed, create a safety and/or sanitation hazard, and can require tedious and cumbersome steps to be taken to clean the spill. To somewhat diminish the damage caused to a floor or table by a liquid, and to reduce the ability of the liquid to spread throughout a large surface area, it is common to provide a placemat or coaster, for humans, or a feeding mat for animals, underneath bowls, cups, mugs, glasses, plates, saucers, feeding dishes, or any other vessels usable to contain liquid and/or food. Such mats can be made from cotton, linen, or similar cloth or textile materials, intended to absorb spilled liquid to prevent its spread. However, absorbent textile mats are prone to acquire stain or damage, the cleaning process for such a mat can be cumbersome, and many such mats are unable to withstand conventional cleaning measures without becoming worn or damaged. Alternatively, to facilitate durability, plastic and rubber mats are also usable, which do not significantly prevent the spread of a spilled liquid, but are less prone to wear or damage and more easily cleaned for reuse. Liquids spilled on a plastic mat must be cleaned promptly, as a failure to immediately attend to such a spill can permit the liquid to spread beyond the edges of the mat to the surface on which the mat has been placed.
Disposable mats have been used to enable absorption of spilled liquids while eliminating the need to clean the mats after use. Most disposable mats utilize paper or similar disposable absorbent materials, which can allow liquids to soak through the absorbent materials and contact the surface below. While effective for containing minor spills, or spills that are attended to promptly, disposable mats can permit a spilled liquid to spread beyond the edges of the mat once the absorbent material has become saturated, thus failing to completely contain the spill. Disposable mats are also generally unattractive in appearance, as the expenditure of significant time and resources to produce a decorative product that will ultimately be discarded after a single use has generally not been cost effective.
A need exists for a method for containing spilled liquid that incorporates the use of a disposable mat that includes both liquid permeable and liquid impermeable layers, thereby enabling absorption and containment of liquids while preventing the spilled liquids from soaking through the mat.
A need also exists for a method for containing spilled liquid that prevents the lateral spread of liquid beyond the edges of such a mat.
Additionally, a need exists for disposable mats that are able to be provided with a unique and/or customized appearance, and possess improved effectiveness for containing spills and an improved usable life when compared to conventional disposable mats.
The present invention meets these needs.
The depicted embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the listed Figures.